Bob Davies, Rochester Royals, circa 1950

Everyone who has followed the NBA over the past 25 years is familiar with names like Magic, Shaq, Kareem, Jordan, Bird, Kobe, etc. but there are several “pioneers” in the NBA (NBL) that even the diehard fans may not know. Players like Alex Groza, Maurice Stokes, Bob Davies are just a few of the great players that played before there was much notoriety or money in being a professional basketball player. Many of the early players could not even provide for their family on the wages earned from the NBA. Several talented players in the 1940’s and 50’s played for oil companies or other corporations because they paid better. These three players and many others paved the way for the NBA greats that are idolized AND extraordinarily rich playing the game today. 

Groza was a 2x All-American at Kentucky where they won back-to-back championships in 1948 and 1949. He was the leading scorer on the 1948 USA gold medal winning Olympic team. In his rookie season in the NBA in 1949 he was 1st team All-NBA. He was recognized as the 2nd best player in the NBA, behind HOF George Mikan. He was destined to be picked to the All-NBA team and potentially one of the top 75 greatest to ever play the game. But he was implicated in a point shaving scandal during his 1948-49 season at Kentucky. He was banned for life from playing in the league. Likely, a basketball great that many fans have never heard of or perhaps have heard of for the wrong reasons. 

Stokes story is even sadder than Groza’s. He was the second pick of the 1955 draft. He made the 2nd team All-NBA and the All-Star team in his 1st three seasons in the NBA. He finished 3rd in the league in assists despite being a 6’7” center/forward. Stokes, who played for the Rochester Royals, was well on his way to being one of the best passing big men to ever play the game. He, like Groza, had the potential to be a 10+ All-NBA team selection. He averaged 16.4 points, 17.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in his shortened career. So, what happened? Stokes suffered a permanent brain injury from a hard fall during a game at the end of his 3rd season. He was left permanently paralyzed and never played again. 

NBA basketball fans, especially those of us over 60-years old, are familiar with the nick name given to Bob Cousy, “Houdini of the Hardwood”.  But many fans may not know that there was a Harrisburg (Pa.) Houdini back in the 1940’s named Bob Davies. Cousy was recognized for his great ball handling ability, and rightly so, but Davies was doing all the same things on the court with a basketball, a decade before “Cooz”. Davies was a star in college at Seton Hall from 1939-41. He was 2x All-American and led Seton Hall to 43 consecutive wins. He then joined the Navy for 3 years. When he returned from the war, he led the Rochester Royals to the NBL title in 1946. He was league MVP in 1947. So, what happened? Bob Davies was born about 5 years too soon. The NBA was founded in 1946-47 and Davies did not play his first game in the league until he was 29-years old. He still went on to make 5 straight All-NBA teams. (4x 1st team) Despite the late start, Davies was selected to the NBA’s Silver Anniversary Team which commemorated the 10 best players in the NBA in the first 25 years. He was also elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.  

These are just three of the many pioneers of the NBA. They certainly did not play for the money or fame but purely for the love of the game. These players are not “plumbers”, they could have played in the NBA today. I have been following the NBA since its conception, I have seen the league evolve. The “skill set” and the athleticism of the players has changed but the success of the game still depends on fundamentals and execution, that has NOT changed. thebasketballgoat.com